Your relationship with MA...

[Lily]

So how do you currently feel about your MA?

Feel free to redefine the categories I've included :)

[karate princess]

i think i fall under 'addicted' its like smoking lol even though ive never smoked, although i feel like im becoming obsessed with the internet side to MA...(a.k.a MAP!)

good god MAP is so bloody obsessive!!

[TheMadhoose]

On my wifes orders i have been told to vote A
i live breathe eat poop my TKD to the extent of being a wierdo

[Kwajman]

When I'm not working it takes up about 50% of my waking hours in some way or another.

[Nettey04]

I think I walk a fine line between obsessed, addicted, and commited. If I could I would train all day everyday, or at least 6 days a week.

[Sever]

Committed. I go to all my classes unless something important comes up, help out with club-related stuff whenever needed, and do fitness training outside class to support my MA, but I have a life as well, so it doesn't completely dominate everything else. My girlfriend and boss would complain if it did

[kwang gae]

Since you cleverly phrased it with the word "currently" I had to vote obsessed. But sometimes it drops all the way down to addicted.

:D

[KickChick]

As a mom, wife, employee and administrator here ;) .... I'd have to say that it ranks in the top 10 with all those important responsibilities ;)

The day I lose half my heart for it, is the day I stop

[Skrom]

can't decide if it's an obsession or an addiction, but i'm going to go with obsession. there's nothing i take more seriously, and i'm constantly thinking about it when i'm not actually doing it. i don't think someone who trains as much as me can say he's not obsessed anyway :D

[Lily]

From the responses so far we're a bunch of nuts :D

TheMadHoose - does your wife do MA as well?

[Jamesy]

Obsessed.Its on my mind 24/7.

[Sankaku-jime]

it changes, right now MA are the least of my priorities, i am training but only once a week at the moment.

[Visage]

I'm mad enough to get up early every morning, go to the park, train for an hour, come home, do some more training, go out and train some more...

I even quit my job to try and become a full time MA instructor. :o

*Goes to hide in the corner*

James :)

[Johnno]

I'm borderline addicted/committed. I have so many other commitments in my life, but I love my MA and practise virtually every day. I rarely miss class and hate it when I have to.

But I've been suffering a lot lately with lower back pain. I've been trying to improve my flexibility a lot down there, but two weeks ago I really aggrevated it at class, and since then my back has been in almost constant pain. So I had to miss class last week. I think I'm going to have to see the quack. :bang:

So right now I feel like I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I'd absolutely hate it if I have to stop training for any length of time. :cry:

[hunter_kaval]

I have to say that CURRENTLY Im Obsessed :eek: but Its just my current circumstances in my life at the moment. Im a student just finished college Im planning on taking a gap year I have no gf nor do I whant one.

I got a part time job were I can do more or less work to have the right amount of money to train. So unless some one can convice me to do something better this summer I think Im happy.

[narcsarge]

Lily, toss me in with the rest of you "nuts"!

ADDICTED!

As with KickChick, being Dad, working, and running my own side business I have limited amounts of time. But MA is a constant on my calendar just like my gym days! No better way to fight old age right KickChick? :D

[TheMadhoose]

From the responses so far we're a bunch of nuts :D

TheMadHoose - does your wife do MA as well?

Yeah lily shes a red belt but since the kids came along she has more important things to obsess about. kids do MA aswell

[MuayKiDo]

RIGHT NOW... I am pretty cooled down considering my MA training. I am discovering so much things all at once, that MA training gets shoved aside more too often.
I now only train thaiboxing three times a week, at most, and no aikido. There were serious plans to pick up on both, but now, and I fear to say this, my 'career' may actually begin! That means not only less time for MA, but for all of my hobbies :cry:

[firecoins]

I am seeing several different martial arts at the moment.

I recently broke up with a karate class. They wanted to take the relationship to the next level with a contract. I just can't commit right now. I told them we just be friends.

[Yohan]

I put obsessed, but now that I think about it, I should have put "other."

Martial arts (for me) falls into the education catagory. I think that every person in the world is entitled to a complete education that includes both physical, mental, and spiritual aspects. In my opinion, I've completed a basic formal mental education (bachelor's degree), but I've never had any spiritual or physical education (I did swim team during the summer from ages 5 to 14, never attended church or did any serious spiritual whatever, though my own self-examination is ongoing).

Thus, I'm in the process of undertaking my physical education, and my chosen discipline is martial arts. I devote myself to that education as such, training between 15 and 25 hours a week (which includes class and personal practice). I take it very seriously, just as seriously as I would undertake any part of my education.

Honestly, I would quit my job and practice all day if I wasn't such a money whore :D :D :D

[AuntiePink]

I'm committed (or I should be, apparently ;)). I'm a single mum of three with a shed load of other commitments that simply have to come first but my MA gets priority at number 4... i.e. after my kids and before my bank manager ;)

[Colin Linz]

I would say that currently I’m at the committed level. Over the years this has changed markedly. For the first 5 years I would describe my involvement as obsessive and then addictive for the next 5years. During this time I would train every session at my club and travel 200klm on Sunday to train in Sydney. I put every spare cent I could get my hands on into trips to Japan to train and only missed a couple of national training camps due to service requirements (I was in the Defence Force). Over the remaining 8 years my involvement has run the spectrum. I had given up ever being able to train again after suffering two sever spinal injuries within two years. This really brought home some perspective on life. As I continued with therapy my condition improved, as it improved my desire to train came back. I now train and teach with commitment, it is an important activity in my life but is not overwhelming my other responsibilities.

[lord s]

I'm really obsessed with Martial arts, I wake up everyday at 4:30 AM and go out at like 5:30 AM to practice MA outside

[iamraisen]

Currently my MA has been taken over by lifting as the number hobby in my life. Life has been fairly hectic as of late and i can usually find 45 mins 3 or 4 times a week a lot easier than 2hrs 3 or 4 times a week.

[Keikai-Tsutsumi]

Used to be highly adicted and have slowly become addicted as the years piled up and the body fell apart. I guess 38 years is grounds for committed at least.

I told me teacher once that he was obsessed and he finally agreed but stated he was not a fanatic. Neither am I.

[Rhea]

I'm borderline addicted/committed. I have so many other commitments in my life, but I love my MA and practise virtually every day. I rarely miss class and hate it when I have to.

But I've been suffering a lot lately with lower back pain. I've been trying to improve my flexibility a lot down there, but two weeks ago I really aggrevated it at class, and since then my back has been in almost constant pain. So I had to miss class last week. I think I'm going to have to see the quack. :bang:

So right now I feel like I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I'd absolutely hate it if I have to stop training for any length of time. :cry:

pretty much sums it up for me, but substitude lower back pain for upper back and rib pain...

[Slindsay]

I put down other because I'm currently less than half hearted about it.

Frankly if I know theres a good chance the session isn't going to involve punching or armbarring someone doing some sparring theres a damn good chance I won't be able to bother myself to go. Couple that with moving house twice in a month, having had dental surgery, trying to get a week off to vist my gf and having loads of other things to keep me active and I just struggle to bother myself.

I actually put climbing and lifting above MA at the moment, there at least I can be regular enough to improve still whereas with my MA it's at best slowing the rot.

[Dragon Brush]

Obsessed

I tend to put MA on an even level with a couple other huge obessions in my life. As I'm a young whipper-snapper by most standards, I don't have toooooooooo much to commit to yet that can detract from my training. I'll be going to University this fall, but all that will do is provide me with new arts to train in. :p

[armanox]

"Hi, my name is Armanox and I have a problem...."

Addicted to MA. I was.....dissettled.....because I can't go back to Aikido for at least two months due to a sudden change in financial situation. I really would have been disgruntled if I also lost karate.

[Adamwolf]

I'm obsessed, my house has it's own weapons wall and training room...

[Shadow_of_Evil]

I certainly live and breath martial arts, yadda yadda, but at the momment too many things have taken priority.
Work, relationship, work, work work etc.
Once all is settles down into a steady routine then I can start living and breathing martial arts :)

[samurai_steve]

never shut up about ma always on my mind

[Tommy-2guns...]

yeah i am obsessed but i find relationships always get in the way, i mean i wnat to go study abroad like i used to, but my lady, she likes nice holidays and beaches, so im kind of torn, its hard.

i think to be the best you have to be unnatatched...but thats just my opinion.


but i live martial arts, thinking about how to deal with situations, but not to the point of paranoia like some folk :)

[Su lin]

I realise how lucky I am that myself and my boyfriend train together, so that really is mainly what we talk about!!! :D

[Lily]

Hey Sulin, did you meet your b/f thru MA or did you know him before that? Do you train in the same MA? It must be great to have a partner who understands.

[Su lin]

We met way before and only started last year. We were both interested before and decided to go along together. It was great as we were both beginners . Its great having someone to encourage you ,although the competitiveness is an undercurrent! It was very odd starting to spar with him, but now it's cool, apart from when Im trying to make a drink and he tries to attack me! It was quite amusing when I had to go to A&E after we had been sparring and I caught my elbow on his foot (it was a freak accident but really hurt!) and told the doctor " I was fighting with him and he hit me!", was quite amusing.
It's all good, we're both obsessed!

[Rhea]

that's one thing I didn't mention, since the other half does it too, and we both help with the teaching it kinda half rules my life. Have lost count of the amount of times I've been caught by people at work ghosting techniques. Not a good thing.

Su Lin, I completely understand about the attacks when you're doing things at home. Really must learn some reversals.

[Angelus]

im all about MA all the time but im more addicted than obsessed....
i figure to say im obsessed is like saying i train all day long like shaolin monks or guys like mas oyama who trained 12 hours/day in the mountains...and apply the principles and philosophy of their MA's to everything in life...
im just simply addicted :D